In pictures: Ambarnath Sinha’s paintings on the ‘Lost & Found’ aspects of Kolkata and Howrah

‘I haven’t been a resident of Kolkata or Howrah for a quarter of a century, though I try to come back every year to rejuvenate myself. The twin cities have changed a lot with time, though their undying spirit and originality have prevailed,’ said Ambarnath Sinha (in the red shirt), whose exhibition, ‘Lost & Found’, opened on August 27 and will continue till September 2, between 12pm and 8pm. Sinha, who first exhibited at the Academy four decades ago, had done so with his father, Ranendranath Sinha, who was also his art teacher

In the first painting, Sinha has recreated a lost skyline of the city with a view of the Eden Gardens from across the Hooghly, while the second shows a sky teeming with kites. The subtle yet surreal chiaroscuro of foliage illuminated by street lights down Queen’s Way, in the third painting, is seen from over the syce’s shoulder in a horse-drawn carriage

This lone architectural treasure of a feudal house, with one of its windows shuttered, stands testament to decades of change and development, with a solitary crow perched atop the balustrade

A young man basking under the open skies in the lush meadows of the Maidan — a feast for the senses that doesn’t cost a dime

Ashoke Viswanathan, filmmaker and theatrician, lit the inauguration lamp and also delivered the keynote speech for the exhibition, where he lauded the lyrical quality of Sinha’s work. Mumbai-based Sinha, who has had a long career as a broadcast producer as well as animation and documentary filmmaker, described his paintings as ‘vivid images reflecting detached belongings through nostalgic eyes as well as vigorous celebrations of the bustling elements of the city’